The Magician

Hey everybody! Come over! Bring snacks! I have a magician living with me now!

This dog has to be a magician....not even the force can explain this dog. First of all, he is getting big, fast. I got him less than 3 weeks ago and he is massive. I keep telling him that if he keeps growing like he is, he won't get as much cute little puppy attention.

The vet said that he was going to be big, but I really didn't see it happening so fast. I think there is some kind of steroid in the Puppy Cheetos I'm giving him.

His second trick is called inhaling food. This dog is a living garbage disposal. It makes me wonder if there is crack in his dog food thoughg, because not only does he always want it, but so does the other dog, and the cat. And what’s great is that no matter how much you give him to eat, he will still go outside and eat bark. Fantastic.

Brinkley's latest magic trick is swimming. On Saturday, I sat in the pool and put him on the first step just to see what he would do. He swam to me. Such a natural. Since then, swimming might be my favorite thing to do with the little guy. He is getting better every time, and becoming more comfortable in the water. Plus his faces are epic. I couldn’t find a way to explain the experience of watching Brinkley swim, so I had the brilliant writer Brandon Mendosa explain:

“Swimming is something that comes naturally to a dog, but to say that Brinkley was tearing effortlessly through the pool like a canine Michael Phelps would be a lie. Like a child taking their first steps, a lot of effort was exerted in exchange for not a lot of movement. Presumably grasping at the ground that wasn't there, Brinkley's rapidly moving legs began to paddle him toward his destination-- me. He bobbed above the water like an ocean buoy with a face and fur, slowly inching his way toward me until finally reaching my outstretched arms and climbing my shoulder, clinging for dear life.”

The aftermath of swimming:

Seriously, magic or no magic involved, the dog is evolving at light speed. Brandon and I go to dinner, get back, and his response is "Oh my God, he has gotten bigger". He is now running without falling in the grass every three seconds. He is finally over being afraid to jump off the couch. Getting on the couch is a different story. And now IF he does have an accident, it's right by the back door. He has learned that I flip out more if it's on carpet. He still has his puppy face, but his hair is changing. He looks like a lion with thin hair all over his body and thicker hair on his neck and face...it's pretty hilarious.

Brinkley is also becoming money conscious. His original crappy McDonald's type dog food that the "babysitter" raised him on was $10 for a huge bag. The same size bag of his new fancy dog food is $50. Brinkley feels bad so now he tries to reassure me he doesn't need new toys. Instead, he will play with the cats old toys, or my favorite, toilet paper rolls.

This week with him has been great but hard. Between Monday and Tuesday I only got to spend 5 hours with the little guy. I understand the parents who hate working late because they only get to spend an hour with their kid before putting it to bed. It's not the guilt, or the fear of them getting used to you being away, but it's that uncontrollable desire to be there, to see everything they do, to not miss anything, and to be there to help shape them.

A woman at my work had a baby a few months ago and I constantly catch her watching the daycare video monitor of her baby in the nursery. She will sit at her desk and eat, while watching the screen the whole time. The baby can't sit up, or do anything really interesting, but her eyes are glued to the screen, to feel some sort of connection, to make sure she isn't missing anything. I get it now.

While Brinkley isn't blood related, he will be the closest thing I have to a baby for a while. And sadly, he is growing at a much quicker speed than one. If I had it my way, I would have maternity leave with him. But if I can't have that, then I am happy to say I now have a full time job with Launch so I can play with him at lunch and spoil him with bones, and treats, and whale toys.

I'll leave you with the most hilarious picture of Brinkley that will haunt him forever. 

 Lots of wet kisses from Brinkley!!!

In a Galaxy Far Far Away....

Brinkley really had no choice. Whether he liked it or not, he has been submerged into Star Wars on the planet of Whatashiner. Had he come into our lives a few weeks earlier, maybe he would be more like his mom, a Harry Potter freak, but nooooo, instead he came at a time when it was Brandon's turn to choose the saga watched on Tuesday nights.

It has become a ritual that every Tuesday night is spent watching some sort of saga, paired with Whataburger, and Texan beer. This started when Brandon wanted to see the last of the Harry Potter movies but hadn't seen the previous seven. So it began. Once the Harry Potter movies ended, I felt like Brandon deserved a break before I started him on the Twilight ones. This is when Star Wars came in.

Since Star Wars has come in, I feel like it has popped up in my life way more than before we started watching the movies. I blame the force, obviously. Suddenly, people are making references to things I understand. There are all of these Star Wars themed posts on Pinterest. Not just one Star Wars themed post, but one about dressing your baby like Princess Leia, or a Star Wars themed nursury. They are constant, and they are cute.

I can't escape it, and luckily I don't want to. I'm not really sure Brinkley does either. He likes Star Wars. It's already known that Brinkley's first birthday theme is Star Wars. He claimed Han Solo, Sasha is an At-At , Major will be C3PO (because he's the worry wart, duh), Beau is going to be an albino Chewbacca, and it's obvious that Nikki will be Yoda because of her ears. Other dogs, you are welcome to claim your characters now... best costume gets a new toy!

Anyway, the Star Wars insanity continued this morning when I got on Pinterest before work. All of a sudden, I see this Darth Vader spatula. $12 at Williams-Sonoma? Aaaaand ordered. 1.Because it's awesome. 2. Because when is something ever $12 at Williams-Sonoma? Well, this got me curious of what other Star Wars themed items I could find. There happens to be a lot... but here are just a few that will be making an appearance at Brinx's birthday party.

After reading this, you will probably agree with me that it's safe to say I'm obsessed with my dog. No need to worry though, I'm still completely normal, for the most part.

I must confess I did write a letter pretending to be Brinkley that talks about how to take care of him when babysitting him. Go ahead, judge.

Lets just set the record straight and say that he has rubbed off on me in good ways too. I haven't online shopped in weeks. Okay, I take that back. I haven't online bought in weeks. I also now have a legitimate reason to sit at home and be lame on week nights. Brinkley has also gotten me very excited about learning. That's right, learning. Mostly because I feel like my dog is getting a lot smarter than me and I feel like I should do something to prove that I'm smarter again. Here's why:

On Sunday morning, Brinkley had a puppy play date with one of my co-worker's dogs, Pojay. Pojay is under a year old and adorable. She is also super smart. Alison took her inside so we could see the tricks she has learned so she got out a slice of cheese. After The Pojay Show was over, Alison handed me the rest of the cheese to give to Brinkley. I looked at him, and jokingly said "sit", sarcastically showing off his "tricks". Instead, Brinkley decided to sit, which I can't decide he did to make me look stupid for doubting his abilities or smart by making me look good. Either way the dog sat on command. And has done so every time I have told him to since. Everyone in the room was stunned when he first did that, and I got asked "wait, have you already taught him that?!". Actually, no. I'm blaming the force again.

Apparently the force is super strong with Brinkley because he has mastered sit, and is working on up, down, shake, come, and stay. To encourage this behavior, I'm going to start trying to find Star Wars themed dog toys.

In fact I think I will make Rotta the Hut squeaky toy this weekend. You too can make it. Click here.

It's crazy to think what the dog would have been like had he come earlier or later. He would have been a really great wizard had he come earlier. Definitely able to conquer Voldemort, and steal Hermoine from Ron Weasley while he's at it. I'm honestly just a bit relieved he didn't come any later. I would hate for him to have come during the Twilight saga and be a dramatic, depressed, Kristen Stewart loving puppy who just wants to get bit by a vampire so he could fit in with his friends and lover.

Current Pics of Brink:

Posing in his "big boy" collar... which is actually his small collar. He already owns his medium and large that he will quickly grow into

He thinks cooking dinner is boring...

Lazy on the weekend

Peace, Love & Light Sabers,

Bec & Brink

A Week of Firsts

Tomorrow marks Brinkley and my one week anniversary. We are registered at Petsmart, Petco, Canine Commisionary, and WOOF!.

Besides it being our first week, it was also a week of firsts.

This week was Brinkley's first vet appointment. Can I just say that I have NEVER felt like more of a grown up than at that appointment? I mean Brandon and I were really treated like absolute adults. We even got asked, "Is this your first puppy?". I'm pretty sure he could have figured that out by the stressed and panicked look on my face, but I appreciate him going ahead and amusing me with the question. The actual appointment went well. He got his first check up, his first nail trim, his first poopoo sample (I don't like the word fecal), his first dose of meds through the nose, and also his first round of shots. Brandon was there more for emotional support for me dealing with Brinkley getting shots, especially since he was so distracted by the puppy puffs the assistant was giving him that he didn't even notice that he got a shot at all. While he may have not felt the shot, he did feel the effects. By the time he was in the car, he could barely keep his head up. I regret not taking a video because Brandon was completely accurate by saying that he was the dog version of "David after Dentist". And if you haven't seen the video, then here it is.

David After Dentist....

Brinkley After Vet (by the way, this picture reminds me of the dying sheep in the movie Babe)...

This week was also Brinkley's first time to meet some very important people in his life. After the vet, he met Lady for the first time. My mom and dad love their granddogs very much and have somehow gotten the names "Lady" and "Man". The dogs go see their Lady and Man a lot, and get to play with them. My brother and I have become insanely attached to the names, and plan on forcing out kids to call them Lady and Man as well. Mostly because we find the idea of a 3-year-old boy waving at his grandparents and saying "Hey Lady!" "What's up Man" absolutely hilarious. It was love at first sight for the both of them and I'm looking forward to him joining the puppy family. He will now have his own stocking at christmas just like Nikki, Beau, Max and Major. Being a Lauten puppy also means the responsibility of being in charge of getting every family member underwear, pajamas or socks for each birthday and Christmas. Brinkley says he and Victoria's Secret are going to be BFF.

Brinkley also met his Godmother Becky on Wednesday. She came bearing Pupronni treats and a Petsmart giftcard! Yay for a giftcard to be spent on dog food, chew toys, tennis balls, and a puppy harness! Brinkley of course fell in love with his Godmother and they spent their night watching HGTV and playing with Mr. Lion. He was so excited about her visit, that he barely slept the night before, therefore was tuckered out by 8:30. Luckily, that meant cuddle time for Becky before she had to go home.

The first that receives the "Yay, You're a Golden!" award would be his first time to play fetch. One night, my brother saw Brinkley struggling to get something from under the couch. He seemed frustrated and very determined to get something. My brother looked under the couch and was surprised to see a tennis ball. What was more surprising was Brinkley's desperation to get this lime green ball that he had never seen before. It was almost as if there was a Star Wars type force between Brink and the ball. He become hypnotized by it, and wants to bring it everywhere with him. I started to throw it to see what he would do, and sure enough, he runs clumsily to get it, and brings it back. Hooray for finally finding a way to wear him out while still getting to watch TiVoed Grey's Anatomy episodes!!!

Now that I have mentioned Star Wars, I think I should mention now that anyone and their dog is invited to Brinkley's 1st Birthday Party! Sure, his birthday isn't until June 11th but it's never too early to plan. The theme will be Star Wars. Each dog in attendance must dress up. Brinkley says he claims Hans Solo, mostly because he likes to think he has Harrison Fords golden locks, and dreamy eyes. Don't worry, I'm already figuring out how to make him a blue vest.

Other firsts of the week that don't need to be explained are: first poop in the crate (you're welcome), first walk, first heartworm/flea medicine, first fight with the cat, and first run around the house with my underwear.

If I had to sum up the week in a word it would be exhausting. I don't get sleep as much as I get naps that are broken up by barking, whining, and potty runs outside. My new wake up time is significantly earlier so that we can play before work. My thoughts are interrupted constantly by thinking "where's Brinkley?", "is he eating a leaf, bug, or food?", and "when was the last time he peed?". But with the exhaustion comes unconditional love. It's hard to be unhappy about waking up at 5:30 AM when you have a dog licking your ear. Getting a whiff of his smell while I'm at work makes me smile. And watching him grow and learn gives me the pat on the back I need when I feel defeated. After a week with him, I am nothing but happy with the decision I made, and more excited about the years I get to grow with him.


Because Becky Long requested it (and she gets whatever she wants), here is a strand of photos from the week.


Brinkley says, "How u doing ladies"

Taking advantage of his few weeks of being small....

Finally, My Very Own Show Pony

On Saturday, August 6th, at 3:15 p.m., I laid my eyes on Brinkley for the first time. Since then, it has been hard to take my eyes off of him. The ride to get him was an anxious one, mostly filled with me either saying "oh my gosh", "this is really happening", or Brandon's personal favorite, "my fingers hurt".

It's hard to explain what I mean when I say "my fingers hurt". All I know is it happens when I am super anxious. It happened as Becky and I went through security at DFW on our way to Australia, and also on our last morning in Australia. It doesn't happen before big tests or important interviews. It only happens when my body somehow knows that my life is about to change in a big way. And the arrival of Brinkley Hanx has already been a big change. 

As I kept shaking my hands in the car on the way to Canton, I kept worrying about my decision making process...because, let's be honest....this isn't the most rational thing I've ever done. I wanted a dog. Rational. I looked through newspaper posts and online listings. Rational. I decided which one was perfect based on a picture. Irrational. I agreed to meet the owner halfway in Canton so I could exchange money for puppy without spending time with it before hand. Irrational. This all seemed fine until the drive over, and suddenly I was worried that this decision could suddenly bring more "I told you so" or "You weren't ready" comments in my life. Hence the finger hurting. 

But the hours before the fingers hurting were filled solely with excitement. I woke up way earlier than I needed to, and was instantly ready to get the show on the road. On the agenda that day was helping Brandon clean his old place, and finish moving stuff to his new place. But to prepare for the big day ahead of us was none other than Chickfila breakfast, because seriously, what gets you more pumped about a good day ahead of you more than the Chickfila nuggets covered in honey buttered biscuits?

The food was scarfed down, the cleaning and moving got accomplished at ninja speed, the drive to Terrell was the drive to Terrell, and then time was killed before getting the puppy by coloring with Brandon's niece Katrina. Finally, it was puppy time. 

As Brandon and I exited the highway and pulled into the McDonald's parking lot, things started to seem perfect as Brinkley's ride arrived at the exact same moment. His "babysitter" put him on the ground and what did he do? He peed. Perfect! He knows to take advantage of some green grass when he sees some. The exchange of goods was quite quick, and I have to admit that I think I got the better end of the deal. 

I hurried back to the car before his "babysitter" could change her mind and realize that she was selling the cutest puppy to ever set foot on the planet. Brandon pulled out of the parking lot and Brinkley was ready to get comfortable. Comfortable for Brinkley however was not in my lap. The puppy was on a mission to climb up my body and pretend to be a dead minx to hang around my neck. The two hour drive back was spent with a dog wrapped around my neck. Face on one shoulder, and feet on the other.

Proof:

The past 48 hours with him have been a blur. My goal has been to have him meet a good amount of people and animals, so that he can be a social and outgoing grown dude. His first human interaction besides with Brandon and I was with his neighbors at his apartment. As soon as we opened the door, the oohs and awws began...and they really haven't stopped since then. His Uncle Ryan, Uncle Chris, Aunt Lindsey, Uncle Jesse, Uncle Justin and Grandpa Steve have all given him lots of love. And I really can't blame them, because he is seriously the cutest thing ever. And that comment is completely okay for me to say because I had absolutely no part in creating such a cute living thing. I'm serious though, this puppy is just the epitome of cute puppies. And the good thing is that he is a classic dog. He is the apple pie of dogs. Who doesn't like apple pie?

The compliments haven't even been from just his family either, so you know they aren't just those "oh you're baby is cute (what is wrong with the shape of it's head?!) comments. A lady popped out of nowhere at Petsmart and began to ask questions about him. Brandon's neighbor holds out her hands in front of her whenever she sees the door open, ready to have him in her arms. The drive thru man at Cane's asked me to put Brinkley through the drive-thru window so that he could hold him. A cashier has asked to smell him. He is a huge hit. I have never felt so popular. 

Never have I had so many plans. I guess it's important to admit that they aren't for me, but for Brinkley, but still. This week he has Brandon come playing with him tomorrow afternoon before his vet visit. Wednesday, his godmother Becky is coming all the way from Fort Worth to meet him. Sunday he has a play date with a co-workers dog. Who knows what else is going to fill his schedule. 

As of now, I am trying to soak up everything Brinkley. The puppy smell, the little nibbles on the ear, and my personal favorite, the little noises he makes when you cuddle him against your chest. It is the most heavenly noise. My fingers are crossed that he will make that noise the rest of his life, but just in case I think I'm going to try and put a tape recorder on him so that I can have it forever. 

Since I can't stop him from growing up, I will just have to take hundreds of photos of him so that I can look back and see how much he has grown and how fast he managed to do it. Lucky for you, I am posting them on here so you can experience the amazingness of the cutest puppy on Earth with me. 

Exhibits A & B of the cutest puppy ever:

No Time for Being Original

Okay, so, here's the deal. I get a dog on Saturday. I'm naming him Brinkley. Yes, it's from You've Got Mail. Yes, he is the same breed. No, I don't care. In fact, I went the opposite way of trying to hide it, and I went ahead and bestowed Brinkley with the middle name of Hanx, in honor of my favorite actor Tom Hanks, who just so happens to be in You've Got Mail. I'm okay with all of this, and when I talk it over with Brinkley on Saturday, I think he will be too.

I went to the next level of being unoriginal by naming this blog Brinkley&Me. But to be fair, I've never watched the whole movie Marley & Me and I plan not to because I swear that a dog dying is almost always more sad than a human dying. Go ahead and judge me for saying that.

Anyway, I've been looking forward to this dog being in my life for a while. For the past year I have been constantly thinking about a dog, but I wanted all my ducks in a row. I wanted to be able to afford it, have time for it, and give myself time to grow some more patience. But I decided to screw patience and start living. I have got to stop planning and start doing. The doing starts Saturday. Until then is the last of the planning.

For having spent so much time dreaming about a dog, all of this has happened quite fast. Over the past 2 weeks, I have been searching websites and newspapers looking for my Brinkley. This past Saturday, at my Mad Men themed birthday party, Lindsey gave me a beautiful leather collar with a tag that had Brinkley engraved on it. That probably sped up the process some. On August 1st (my birthday), I came across a listing for Golden Retriever puppies for sale. I emailed and asked for recent pictures and got this in return:

She sent me other pictures, but this was the only one I was interested in. I knew immediately that this was my puppy. Brinkley, meet the world. World, Brinkley.

After 18 emails back and forth, it was decided that I would pick up Brinkley at McDonald's in Canton, Texas. And since the moment I have found that out, I have been preparing non-stop. How, you might ask?

-I have read 3 puppy specific books
-I am currently reading "Golden Retrievers for Dummies"
-I have ordered a puppy play pen and crate.
-I went to Petsmart (is it Pet-Smart or Pet's Mart?) and picked up 150 training pads (yeah buddy), a collar and matching leash, food and water bowls, training treats, and a few toys (including a super cute little lion).

I have also taken Petsmart's puppy quiz to see how well I know how to train my puppy. It labeled me an expert. Don't get me wrong, I don't want to sound cocky, but I'm doing everything I can to spike my confidence level about being able to handle this thing. My goal is to just not have my dog turn into my parents dogs, Beau and Nikki. I love the dogs, but they are clearly in charge of the house. I would tell you about it, but I think each dog will deserve its own blog post.

No matter what, my life changes Saturday. This dog is going to live a while. More than likely it will be around when I get engaged, married, and have kids (which is completely insane to think about). This change means a lot more responsibility. It means getting up earlier, dedicating my lunch break to something other than me, and more money on dog food and less at Anthropologie.

Words can't tell you how excited I am about this puppy though. And since this dog will be forcing me to grow up in a few different ways, I figured this is a good time to share those experiences with the world. This blog will be filled up with stories and pictures of me trying to cook, bake, and create. Who knows what this will turn into, but no matter what, I guarantee that Brinkley will be involved in it all.

Love to all,
Bec and Brink